Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
CLEVELAND STATE
Falcons Win Second In A Row With 10-6 Verdict Over Cleveland State
March 25, 2009 | Baseball
March 25, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - On the strength of eight runs in the first three innings and some timely pitching in the late innings, the Bowling Green State University baseball team earned a 10-6 nonconference win over Cleveland State Wednesday afternoon at Steller Field. The Falcons, winners of seven of their last 10 games, improved to 9-11 for the season while the Vikings are now 3-15.
After both teams waited just a little over an hour to start the game because of rain, the Falcons jumped all over CSU starter Anthony Sambula for five runs in the first frame.
Senior Ryan Shay led off the game with a single, and after a pop up, junior Tyler Elkins walked. They both moved up a base on a double steal and both scored on a wild pitch. Junior Derek Spencer then walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch and was driven home by junior Logan Meisler who singled through the right side. After Meisler advanced to second on a ground out, freshman Jon Berti hit his first career home run over the left field fence to drive in the final two runs of the inning.
Sambula did not make it through the first inning making an early exit after the Berti home run.
CSU came right back in the top of the second to get two of the runs back as they loaded the bases with one out and Alex Johnson singled to left field to drive in the runs. The Vikings came as close as they would the whole game when they scored two runs in the third to make it a 5-4 game on an RBI ground out and an RBI single by Jon Foco.
The Falcons built the lead back to four runs (8-4) with a three-run third on a home run by junior T.J. Blanton that scored senior Brian Hangbers, who had doubled with one out, and Berti, who had walked. Blanton hit his second homer of the day in the sixth inning to give the Falcons a 9-4 lead.
It was the first multi-homer game for Blanton, who has four round-trippers this season to lead the team, and his four RBI equalled a career high and raised his season total to 13, also a career best.
CSU scored single runs in the seventh and the eighth innings, but left two runners in scoring position in both innings.
After Jason Hungerman led off the seventh with a home run for the Vikings and the next batter singled, freshman Bubba Andrews made his first career appearance on the mound for the Falcons and retired the next two batters on fly balls. After a walk and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with two outs, Andrews got out to the inning on another fly ball.
In the eighth against Andrews, the first three batters reached on hits scoring one run and senior Marty Baird was summoned from the bullpen. Baird promptly struck out the only batter he faced before giving way to Hangbers who got the last out of the inning on a strike out.
Hangbers retired the side in order in the ninth on a strike out, a pop up and a fly out to earn his first save of the season. Sophomore Richie O'Brien earned his second win of the season pitching two innings following starter Kyle Atkinson who went four-plus innings. O'Brien allowed one run on three hits during his appearance.
Besides Blanton's day, Shay and Elkins also had a pair of hits for BG and junior Mark Galvin was among seven players who had one hit in the game. Galvin extended his hitting streak to 10 games, a career best, with a first inning single.
The Falcons will be on the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play this season when they battle Northern Illinois this weekend. The three-game weekend series will feature games Friday (4 p.m. ET), Saturday (2 p.m. ET) and Sunday (2 p.m. ET). Northern Illinois opened MAC play last weekend by sweeping Buffalo while Bowling Green took one of three games from Western Michigan at home.
